


The Circus of Suffering

by Marionette_Madness



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Abuse, Child Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Horror, Injury, Psychological Trauma, Reincarnation, Song: Kurai Mori no Circus | Dark Woods Circus, Suicidal Thoughts, Switched names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-09-01 15:41:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8629675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marionette_Madness/pseuds/Marionette_Madness
Summary: The circus, its torturous existence, was all they knew; their hopes, dreams, families, friends - all but distant memories.Without hope, all they had was each other.  But was that ever enough?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there. This fic is a product of sudden inspiration and need for a good DWC fanfiction that depicted things as they needed to be. I did some name switches, but I think you'll catch on.
> 
> Miku - Anna  
> Adam - Len  
> Doris - Rin  
> Girl - Mary  
> Meiko - Maria  
> Kaito - Charlie

>  

    The girl would not stop crying.

    For hours, all anyone could hear were her muffled sobs, despite not knowing for sure where she was. When they had taken her, so quick and swift, they didn't know who it might have been, but she had to have been a patron at the circus the previous evening; the last show, so no one would notice her being snatched in the dark of the night.

    They lost count of the hours her sobs shook through the still, stubborn air of the tent, but when the darkest hour fell over the camp, they decided to find her and offer whatever comfort they could. After testing the silence and deciding it safe, his hand pulled at the loose bar in their cage and held it back while she shifted her side through the gap, pulling her other half with her.

    They hobbled in the direction of the wails, reminding themselves to walk as one; as they were one. Her prison was smaller, even smaller than the Beast's, who was no better than a mutt in the eyes of the ringmasters. She would have to earn a bigger living space, with extra labor or becoming a star performer. But she had no deformity to be seen, so she was unmarketable to the public. At most she would hand out fliers during the day, with that cute face of hers. Not yet marred by the ugliness of punish that would soon come if she kept on like that.

    Curled in the corner, covered in dirt, she sobbed with thin arms wrapped tightly around her equally thin body. His knuckles wrapped quietly on one of the metals bars, a dull ring resounding through the quiet and cutting off the girl's sobs abruptly. Her head snapped up, eyes nearly as red as her filthy dress. There was only fear in her wide brown eyes, so they lifted their hands in an act of peace and surrender, trying to smile kindly at the horrified girl, who looked so, so familiar.

    "We won't hurt you-" He whispered.

   "but you must me quiet, miss-" She whispered.

   "-or they will take more from you." He finished vaguely, knowing the true details would scare the young girl.

    By that point, the girl had crawled to the bars, weakly grabbing at the metal bars. The girl looked up at them, desperate, afraid, and so, so sad. The pinnacle of such innocent suffering, so strong and hopeless.

    "I wanna go home - please take me home." The girl cried, grabbing at the hem of their shirt with a tiny fist, "I want my mommy."

    "She's only a child." She whispered, looking at him in shock and maybe even anger.

    Anger for the people who took their lives.

    "They're desperate," He reasoned, reaching and grasping her oh, so tiny hand with his own long, skeletal fingers, "They wish to break her easier, I think."

    "But, she's so young!" She cried softly and he could see a tear escape her eye, falling away into the packed dirt, "We were twelve, but she's. . ."

    She looked down at the girl, "How old are you, miss?"

    The girls fingers didn't leave their shirt, only gripping tighter as she looked away uncertainty, "I-I turned seven yesterday. I wanted to s-see a circus for my birthday."

    "Seven," She repeated, sadly, voice wavering as she tried not to cry, "oh, brother, we brought her to this place - how could we?"

    There was no answer he could give, but he tried not to blame them; they were mere puppets with no will of their own. Or so he hoped. He rubbed his thumb against the girl's cold hand, an effort to soothe the pain. It seemed to help, if only in the barest amount, because she attempted to lean closer to the warmth of his hand.

   "My name is Mary," The girl spoke up in a crackling voice, strained from the hours of sobs and wails ripping through her throat, "what's yours?"

    "I'm Adam." He answered, cracking a weak smile for the newly-named girl, who seemed to lighten up in an instant. She followed his example, though still upset by the discovery of Mary's tragedy, "I'm Doris."

    Mary had stopped hiccuping and though she looked so incredibly sad, there was the barest hint of hope flickering in her warm, innocent eyes. On shaky legs, she stood, still gripping their shirt to balance herself. She barely came up to their chest, having to tilt her head to look at them properly. No words were spoken, but the three of them silently bonded, Doris taking Mary's other hand through the bars and holding it firm. But Mary found the courage to speak all too soon.

    "Are the others locked away, too?" She questioned, frowning sadly, remembering the other's desperate eyes that stared back at her not long ago.

    "Yes," Adam confirmed, "They can't be moved."

    "Can I meet them?" She asked hopefully, innocently. Full of untouched life.

   Adam and Doris looked to eachother, unsure if they could fulfill the girl's wish. It was dangerous to wander the tent at night, but that hadn't stopped them in the past.

    "Perhaps," Doris whispered hesitantly to her other half, "It would cheer her up?"

    Adam considered it as well, wondering if it really could bring any note of happiness to the melancholy singer, so trapped in her own despair.

    "I think so," Adam muttered softly, the turned to the small girl, "Give us a bit find you an exit."

    They both paced up and down the enclosure, checking the bars with quick tugs until they came upon a bar that gave way under their efforts. This bar was moved aside, giving a small opening for Mary to slip through. She squeezed through with ease, looking happy to be free, if only in such a small sense, and attempted to hug the conjoined twins. Her arms barely made the way around their shared torso, but they appreciated the thought and patted the girl's brown hair comfortingly.

    Adam took Mary's hand and carefully began to lead her through the darkened, dead circus, making sure to remain quiet. Mary watched curiously as the two roused the sleeping diva she had seen only hours before. Her eyes were covered, but the rest of her face depicted a sadness so deep and hollow. The twins' hands came and removed the cover, revealing the diva's startlingly blue, dead eyes. With her hands firmly against the ground, she pulled herself closer to the bars, unmatching horse legs dragging dead behind her underneath the ragged strips of what must have been, at one point, a lovely gown.

    Once she was close, her thin hand reached out and found Adam's, squeezing it tightly as she breathed shakily. Adam brought the hand to his mouth and kissed it gently, lips barely grazing her fragile skin.

    "Anna," Adam called out in the barest of whispers, "She wanted to meet you."

    The diva's eyes dragged slowly to Mary, slight recognition sparking in her eyes, "They got you."

    Mary nodded sadly, "I saw you yesterday. Your singing was pretty, but it was sad."

    "I am sad." Anna said blankly, nothing comprehensive passing over her pretty features. She had at one point might have been quite beautiful, but neglect and her life of continuous sorrow had turned her features into thin, hallow shadows of a human.

    "I-I like singing." Mary continued hesitantly, wringing her hands while she looked at the singer.  

    "I used to, too." Anna mumbled, her eyes looking suddenly so far away, somewhere better and kinder. But she came back slowly and only frowned slightly, eyes shining with forming tears.

    "We must go before they return." Doris spoke up, taking Mary's hand and urging her brother to move with her as quickly as they could manage, being a singular being of two personalities.

    Mary followed without a word, silent as she slipped back into her cage. But the hope was gone suddenly, as she became so much more trapped, in every way such a small girl could be. Before Doris and Adam left,

    Mary reached through the bars once more and tugged at their flowing pants leg.

    "Will I ever go home?" She whispered, not daring to look up at the pair, for the fear of the answer she knew she'd receive.

   His words were gone in that moment, leaving Adam leaning down and lifting her chin to look at him. Her eyes begged for something good, anything to keep her hope alive. But he only shook his head. A tear cascaded down her cheek and she silently receded to the corner of her prison, whimpering softly.

    They couldn't help her any longer, so they receded back to their own prison, to spend the rest of the dark night attempting to sleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally picked this up again. I originally didn't want this to just be a one shot, but never found the time to continue, so I made it that way.
> 
>  
> 
> ...and now we're here.

 

  Mary was awoken very suddenly when the sun barely peaked through the trees, light scarcely shining over the dismantled circus camp. Something slammed against the bars of her cage and she jumped, gasping and scrambling in shock.

  The yellow haired ring master glared down at her, her stilts gone and dressed far more simply, face devoid of any of the cheeriness it had held the night before.

 

  "Get up," She snapped at the small girl, slamming a stick against the bars again, "We're leaving town - get in the carriage with the others. Any funny business and you'll be punished accordingly, got it?"

 

  She then yanked open the door with a quick jerk and pointed to an opening in the tent, before stalking off somewhere unknown. Mary cautiously left the cage and stared, wide-eyed, at the direction she had pointed - met with the sight of the performers crowded around a carriage while they were watched over by the other cold stare of the grey-haired ringmaster.  
  
  The girl hurried over, greeted silently by Doris and Adam, who then gestured for her to stay silent with thin fingers to their lips. She listened, choosing to take in her fellow companions in the light of morning. The diva sat against a wheel of the carriage, slumped over and looking half dead; while Doris and Adam stood tall and anxious, too awake and fidgety to relax or give into their exhaustion.

  Mary stared at the blue boy she'd seen not even a day before. The grey-haired ringmaster had him on a chain, though the blue beast simply slumped on the ground, snarling and drooling with his face pressed into the damp grass. His arms were trapped in the tight, filthy, jacket and his eyes were glazed over with some sort of forced sleepiness: he would not be moving soon.

  The girl focused on him, an odd feeling washing over her in an uncanny wave. She had seen him just the day before, but he looked so...familiar to her. Something deep down in her called to her, but she couldn't place what it was telling her to feel.

  Mary didn't like the feeling, so she looked away, hand grasping for Adam's in desperate need of some form of comfort. He took it without question and rubbed her fingers reassuringly.

  Next thing they knew, the ringmaster threw open the back door of the carriage, yanking the blue beast into the carriage and into a cage before snapping at them to get inside. The conjoined twins lifted Anna from the ground and placed her closest to the window so she could gaze outside, while they sat across from her.

  This left Mary in a corner - directly in front of the blue beast's cage. The cage was so small and cramped, making Mary feel so sad for the poor boy. The sudden jarring of the carriage moving forward cut off her thoughts and forced her to focus on remaining steady while the rickety cart jostled violently.

  The movement made the sedated blue boy snarl aggressively as he toppled over, unable to keep himself upright.

  By some instinct, Mary leaned forward and hushed him with a thin finger to her lips.

  And he listened.

  Eyes wide, the boy shut his drooling mouth and stared at Mary unblinkingly. Mary giggled, as he reminded her of a dog who'd been scolded by their owner. She looked up and found three pairs of eyes staring at her, wide and shocked.

 

  
  "D-Did I do something bad?" Mary whispered, afraid she had disappointed her companions, "I didn't mean to."

 

"No, No," Anna interrupted before the small girl could get even more upset, "The beast - he listened to you. He never listens."

 

"Not to us, anyway," Doris elaborated, looking concerned and rather...inquisitive.

  
  
"He used to listen to someone else," Adam continued quietly, "she was his friend before they were trapped in the circus and knew him before he became...like that."

 

  He gazed sadly at the drooling beast, who still stared at Mary intently, barely even blinking as he gazed at the small girl.

 

  "I thought we agreed not to talk about her." Anna snapped, though behind her anger, her voiced wavered as she rubbed her eyes furiously.

 

  "Who are you talking about? Is she another performer?" Maria asked curiously, looking back and forth between her new companions for answers.

 

  "Not anymore," Anna muttered darkly, "she's-"

 

  The carriage suddenly came to an abrupt stop, jostling the deformed performers and cutting off the depressed diva before she could finish. Being the smallest, Mary lost her grip on the floor and tumbled forward into the beast's cage, the metal crashing harshly against the relative quiet.

  Mary whimpered and rubbed her head where it had smacked against the metal, trying not the cry as the pain spread beneath her fingers.

 

  "Mary..." Doris whispered slowly, "whatever you do, don't move."

 

  Mary cracked her eyes open and stared at the others through her tear-blurred vision, met with three expressions of trepidation and fear. She was about to ask what was wrong, when her question was answered but a snarl right next to her ear. The sound echoed in her mind and she carefully looked at the beast, who was impossibly close to her face.

  Up close, he was far taller and gangly than she realized, always being curled up of hunched over making him appear smaller.

  The girl should have been terrified, crying out at the thought of being so close to a flesh-hungry beast. But she wasn't.

  So when the small girl found the blue beast sniffing her hair, instead of screaming out in fear, she giggled as his breath tickled her neck.

 

  "What the hell..." Adam whispered in shock, "he isn't biting you or anything."

 

  When the blue beast didn't snap, Mary pulled back to look at him fully, smiling at him as friendly as she could manage. Carefully, she reached through the bars and gently rested her hand on his greasy, tangled, blue hair.

 

  "Hello," She greeted in a small whisper, "I'm Mary."

 

  Then, the beast's lips twitched and he bared his teeth. Mary could hear her companions gasp in fear, but did not move.

  Instead of growling or snapping, it appeared that the blue beast was attempting to mirror her smile. The grin looked painful and unfitting on his face, but Mary was just happy that he was copying her.

 

  "Look, he's smiling!" Mary gasped, looking back at the others with a wide smile.

 

  The others said nothing, simply stupefied by the bizarre turn of events. Though still cautious, they no longer looked terrified that the beast would attack the small girl through the cage's bars.

 

"M-M-M-Ma..." The blue beast stuttered out suddenly, sound coming from deep in his throat, rough and gravely.

 

It was deadly silent as the beast attempted to snarl out whatever he was trying to say, obviously frustrated by the way he continuously shook his head when he continued to stutter and mess up. He was quiet for another long moment, before he looked up quickly, staring Mary right in the eye through the curtain of his greasy bangs.

 

"M-Maria." He stuttered out with a huff, voice tinted with gruff finality.

 

Mary tilted her head in confusion, giggling at the beast, who still stared intently at her, as if expecting something.

 

"No, silly, I'm Mary!" She giggled, turning around to look at her deformed companions, "who's Maria?"

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

"M-Maria." The beast stuttered out with a huff, voice gravely from disuse.

Mary tilted her head in confusion, giggling at the beast, who still stared intently at her, as if expecting something.

"No, silly, I'm Mary!" She giggled, turning around to look at her deformed companions, "who's Maria?"

They were frozen once more, but out of uncertainty rather than fear. Anna shared and nervous glance with Doris and Adam, biting her lip as she prepared an answer for the girl.

But she was interrupted for the second time when the doors of the carriage were thrown open harshly. The crashing of the doors resounded loudly, the young performers covering their ears while the beast snarled at the sudden noise. 

"Move aside, freaks, we need to move this cargo here instead," The silver-haired ringmaster snapped, grunting as he lifted a large wooden box to the opening of the caravan, "it was stinking up the tent."

He shoved the box into the cramped space, making it slide quickly towards the back wall. Quickly, so she wouldn't be hurt again, Doris and Adam reached out with their arms and pulled Mary into their lap before the box could hit her. It slammed against the blue beast's cage loudly, making him snarl loudly in displeasure. He quieted quickly, though, on account of the sedatives still swimming through his veins.

The ringmaster slammed the doors shut again and clicked the lock into place, leaving them alone once more. They were silent until the caravan began to move again, not daring to speak, lest the ringmasters hear them and punish them for being rowdy.

"Are you alright, miss?" Doris whispered, her hand coming to gingerly pet Mary's hair, noticing her wince as her fingers brushed the bump on the back of her head where she had smacked it on the metal cage.

"I'm ok..." Mary whispered, still shaken from the ringmaster's appearance, "my head hurts, though."

"Perhaps you should rest," Adam suggested, cupping her warm cheek with his own cold, thin hand, "we'll wake you before we arrive."

"But you never answered me," Mary pouted, crossing her arms defiantly, "why did he call me Maria?"

Both Doris and Adam hesitated, separate hands freezing on her hair and cheek. They shared a glance with each other, before smiling down at the small girl, albeit a bit strained and forceful.

"Nothing to worry about, he just-" Doris began.

"-hasn't spoken in awhile." Adam continued, "he probably just confused your name, he is a beast, after all."

"But-" Anna spoke up, but was quickly shushed simultaneously by Adam and Doris.

"Just rest, Mary," Doris smiled, "you'll need it."

All of them stared at her expectantly, making Mary feel horribly uneasy. But she found she really was tired, having barely slept the stressful night before. 

So she listened to the conjoined twins and moved so her head was resting in their lap, gentle hands caressing her hair until she drifted into a fitful sleep.

 

Mary found herself dreaming a familiar dream. Ever since she was very small, even smaller than she was then, she dreamt of the circus.

Despite her love and longing for the joy of the circus, her dreams were never pleasant.

The twisted faces of clowns and freaks contorted and cackled around her, unseen hands pulling at her hair and the frills of her shirt. She could barely see past the crimson ruffle fastened suffocatingly tight around her throat, only able to register the white face paint dripping onto and staining the bright hue, her tears smearing the makeup she had forgotten she was wearing.

She was so afraid. She could not see past the light shining into her eyes, but she could hear the tormenting laughter around her, a harsh whisper telling her to smile.

Or else.

 

When she jolted out of the dream, fearful and shivering, the first thing she noticed was the smell. The caravan hadn't smelt very pleasant before, but it had gotten so much worse, the putrid, rotten smell filling the small space and making Mary gag.

The smell assaulted her senses and Mary found herself forgetting she had dreamt something so awful in the first place. She looked around the caravan and saw that her companions were seemingly unaffected by the smell, looking dead eyed as they stared off into space instead.

When Mary gagged again, Doris finally snapped out of her stupor and took notice of the small girl.

"Oh, you're finally awake," She said, "I was worried you wouldn't for a little bit. That bump was pretty nasty."

"Wh-what's that smell?" Mary gasped, gagging and slapping her hands over her mouth and nose, "it smells rotten!"

Doris frowned and looked over at the box that remained shoved against the far corner, away from the sleeping beast. Her eyes widened as she realized something, but went back to normal as she faced the small girl again.

"Food for the beast, I think," She muttered with a shrug of her singular shoulder, "I'd check, but I'd rather not be near the smell more than I have to. Though, I suppose you're not used to it like we are."

Mary shook her head silently, staring at the box intently.

"You'll learn to adapt," Doris whispered sadly, running her thin finger's through Mary's dirty hair, "we all had to." 

"I don't want to," Mary whimpered, fear bubbling in her throat and threatening to spill over. Tears formed in her eyes and she sniffed, her voice wavering as she held back a sob, "I wanna go home. I want my mommy."

"Ssh, shh," Doris hushed, using her arm to pull Mary closer and tuck her face into her shoulder, "crying makes it worse, miss, you must learn to hide your emotions and smile. Or else."

Mary sniffed and frowned, "Or else, what?"

Doris hesitated and frowned, looking at her sleeping other half for a moment, before shifting to brush away his long bangs. Beneath his long, yellow bangs, a long scar traced the expanse of his forehead at an angle. Though it looked as if it had been long healed, the scar tissue was still raised and flushed a bright pink.

"Or else you'll be punished." Doris whispered.

Mary shivered with fear, scared of what the future held for her. As much as she wanted to hold on to the dream of hope and freedom, she knew deep down, that nothing would get better.

 

They arrived at the new, unknown destination long after the sun had set, leaving the inside of the carriage pitch black for a long time, not even the light of the moon visible through the minuscule window.

The caravan doors were wrenched open and each young performers was unceremoniously thrown to the ground, the ringmasters ignoring their pained groans as they struggled to regain their balance.

"Into the tent, quickly." The yellow-haired ringmaster snapped, her boot slamming into Mary's side when she didn't rise from the ground, "you too, runt."

It was difficult to stand and walk, her stomach cramping and head throbbing as she stumbled behind Doris and Adam. She hesitated for a moment, turning around to look at the beast, who was being removed from the caravan, but was met with a swift slap to the back of her head and the wretched woman shoving her forward.

Their individual imprisonments had already been set up and the others were calmly escorted and locked away, as if it were already second nature to them. But Mary wasn't used to it and made the grave mistake of fighting back.

"Get inside, you've got a long day tomorrow." The ringmaster ordered, taking Mary by the back of her shirt and shoving her into the cage.

"Let me go!" Mary cried, desperately reaching back to claw at the woman's hands. Her nails dug into the soft fresh of the woman's palms, breaking skin and causing her to drop the small girl.

She cursed loudly and inspected her bleeding hand, before quickly turning to the small girl lying in the dirt.

"You little bitch," She hissed, towering over the girl menacingly, "someone has to teach you a lesson."

Reaching down, the female ringmaster grabbed a handful of Mary's hair, not even waiting for her to stand before dragging her passed the other cages and into the center of the tent. Before she was completely dragged away, Mary made eye contact with Anna, crying out in desperation.

 

But the deformed girl simply looked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Hope everyone is still interested. I'm currently not focusing on this fic explicitly, but I haven't forgotten! I'm simply just working on other things, with this fic strictly casual.
> 
> But with that, enjoy this chapter!

Mary was afraid.

 

She was so very afraid.

Being taken and forced into the nightmare was terrifying enough, but it had become so much worse so quickly. With the way the ringmaster twisted her hair in her dust and stared down at the little girl menacingly, recreating so many of her nightmares in one instant.

 "You will learn to behave," The ringmaster spat, throwing her to the ground, dirt and dust swirling through the air as the girl crumpled into a heap, "they all had to learn and they know how to behave. That's what we get for picking up a little brat off of the street. You may be cute, but you're useless to us. I would kill you myself if we weren't so desperate."

 Mary could barely understand what the horrible woman was talking about, but had no time to try and consider it before her hair was yanked again, forcing her tear-stained face up.

 The woman scowled at her and produced a glittering knife from a hidden holder within her skirts.

 "We had a clown," She whispered, voice horribly gentle compared to her menacing appearance, "Did you see her? She was bad too and she was punished. But she was selfish, and hung herself from the ceiling, like a little Christmas ornament."

 Mary felt the sharp tip of the blade press into her cheek, just barely breaking the skin. She couldn't pull away on account of the hand holding her head in place, so all she do was silently cry as the ringmaster continued her spiel.

 "We needed a replacement, but all we could manage was you," The woman hissed, "who lets their kid go to the circus alone, hm? Your mama probably didn't want you, she wanted you to be taken."

 Mary finally spoke up, crying out loudly when she mentioned her mother, "No! My mommy loves me! She wants me home, I wanna go home!"

 The blade dug into her cheek harder and Mary knew the skin had broken, tears stinging the wound as they mixed with the fresh blood. It dripped from her cheek in a pink mixture, darkening the dirt floor of the tent.

 "You're here with us now." The woman whispered, voice sickeningly sweet as she adjusted her grip on the knife so it rested on the corner of the girl's lips, "you'll be our happy little clown." 

She hesitated for only a moment, before her wrist jerked, sliding the sharp blade from her lip to mid-cheek. Mary screamed loudly, high and shrill, making the ringmaster stop for a second, before slapping her other un-cut cheek, forcing her to stay silent.

 Mary didn't scream when the knife slashed her other cheek, her body going into shock and slumping in the cruel woman's hold. It hurt so much, she couldn't feel much of anything else, not even the blood dripping into her mouth and onto her body, painting her crimson.

She didn't register when her body was dragged across the ground and thrown into one of the dark cages. Nothing was real as she lay on the cold, dirty floor, blood quickly pooling around her head in a dark halo.

Only when the tent had grown deadly silent and pitch black, did anything change. With familiar tact, Adam and Doris maneuvered their shared body through their own cage, not even caring to be quiet or graceful as they tumbled through the dark. 

Mary still hadn't moved, blood remaining in an undisturbed puddle around her head. The conjoined twins couldnt see her face, but feared what they would see.

"I-Is she dead?" Adam whispered, arm fidgeting as he tried to find a way to open the small prison and help the poor girl.

"No," Doris whispered, squinting in the dark, then sighing gratefully, "she's breathing."

Adam discovered the door to the cage hadn't even been locked, quickly yanking it open wide enough for them to get through. The entire time, Mary didn't register them, not once flinching or moving to acknowledge that anything was happening.

"Mary?..." Doris whispered hesitantly, "are you alright? We want to help."

 Her hand reached forward, gripping the small girl's shoulder gently, before tugging her towards them. When her small body tilted to face them, Doris gasped and retracted her hand, covering her mouth in horror.

Even through the thick curtain of both dried and congealed blood, they could see the two slashes forcing the girl's face into a permanent grin. The sight alone made the two want to vomit, but they forced themselves to be calm, for the poor girl's sake.

"Mary? Please, wake up." Adam whispered shakily, slowly reaching out to nudge the girl.

Mary jolted awake suddenly, gasping loudly, the movement making the scabs around the slashes break, gushing with spittle and fresh blood, dripping down the dried blood already painting her face.

"I-I want my mommy," She gasped deliriously, "wh-where am I? I'm scared."

The small girl appeared to be in shock with the way she trembled and looked around fearfully.

"You're okay now, Mary," Doris whispered gently.

"But you must let us help you." Adam continued, a bit more anxious sounding.

"Your wounds could get infected-"

"-and they masters will be mad if you're like this in the morning."

Mary simply shook, still unmoving from the floor or the pool of blood surrounding her head. She wouldn't even look at the twins, too fixated on something unseen, faraway in the ceiling.

"Who's Mary?" Mary whimpered softly, almost too softly to be heard.

Doris hesitated, unsure of how to approach the girl's delirium, "W-Well, you are, Mary. You're Mary."

"I'm Maria." Mary whispered, voice suddenly devoid of fear, or any emotion at at, blank and unsettling.

Both Doris and Adam froze, sharing a look with eachother. The situation was somehow both confusing and frightening as the mutilated girl spoke of a woman she had never met.

"Maria's gone, Mary," Adam whispered, "she died a long time ago."

"I'm right here." Mary replied, voice still blank.

"Maria's dead, Mary," Doris snapped, tired of the twisted game they were playing, "she killed herself and you're here to replace her!"

Adam tried to calm his sister, but Doris was too afraid and angry at how the little injured girl was acting. It was hard being the calm ones, when everyone else was past their breaking point. Someone had to be strong and hold everyone together.

 But it was so hard.

Never again would they be a singular person, but until they died. No longer could they remember running hand-in-hand through the fields, laughing so carefree and joyful. Their lives were only pain and would remain such until they died.

 Adam bit back tears, choking as a few escaped him.

"I want to see Charlie." Mary said suddenly, pulling her self up from the floor with a sickening wet sound. She still looked horribly dazed and grotesque with the congealed blood gelling her hair down and making hairs stick into the exposed slashes of her mouth. But she also looked suddenly very focused as she finally looked at the twins.

"H-How do you know the Beast's name?" Doris stuttered out.

Mary didn't answer, shoulders dropping as exhaustion caught up with her frail body. Adam quickly grabbed her arm to keep her upright, but her head lolled to the side uselessly, eyes glassy as the injured girl stared off into nothing.

"We need to sew up the wounds," Adam whispered, "and disinfect the cuts."

"Ch-Charlie..." Mary choked through her bloody lips, "please, let me see Charlie, he needs me."

Doris looked over pleadingly at her other half, unsure of what to do. Yes, they needed to help the girl's wounds, but she was acting so strange and seemed set on seeing The Beast. It seemed the smartest thing to do was kill two birds with one stone.

 Together, the twins tugged the girl into their arms and pressed her face into their chest, holding her securely while they stumbled out of the cage and through the dark, empty circus tent. All they needed to do was find where The Beast was being kept, the conjoined twins already prepared to care for the wounds with supplies they'd stolen from the ringmasters.

It wasn't like they needed them, they weren't the ones being tortured.

Mary was lifeless while they transported her to her desired companion's cage, only springing back to life when she heard his distinctive grunts and snarls. Seemingly unaffected by her injuries, the girl struggled from Doris and Adam's grasp and stumbled in front of Charlie's cage, falling to her knees and grasping the bars with blood-slick hands.

 Without a shred of fear or hesitation, she shoved her arms through the bars, cradling The Beast's face with a familiar gentleness, staining his sickly complexion red.

Doris gasped in fear, covering her eyes to save herself from witnessing the girl be torn apart by the canibalistic boy. Adam watched with wide, terrified eyes, too shocked to scream for the girl to stop.

 But no such carnage came.

 Instead, a low croon rumbled from The Beast's chest, shoving his face further into her head, like a dog wanting affection from its owner.

"Maria, M-Maria..." The Beast growled out, voice full of gravel, but still there, clear as day and unnerving.

"I'm here, Charlie, I'm here," Mary whispered, voice breaking as tears leaked from her eyes and quiet sobs burst from her chest, "I'm sorry I left you all alone, I-I didn't mean to. Th-They hurt me s-so bad, I couldn't take it."

Doris and Adam shared and uneasy gaze, silently agreeing that the girl's words were all too familiar, ringing painfully in their ears and minds. Mary couldn't have known Charlie's name, or should have been able to touch him, let alone make him speak.

 

It was all so confusing.

 

"H-Hurt." The Beast panted, eyes lighting up with understanding as he stared at Mary with a look of what could only be described at desperate concern.

"I-I'm okay, I'll be okay," Mary whispered 

Doris and Adam chose that moment to spring into action, their shared body kneeling beside the wounded girl and pulling out the stolen supplies: needle, thread, and a sealed bottle of disinfectant.

"We need to help you, Mary-" Doris began tentatively.

"Maria." Mary snapped, glaring at the older girl with eyes that exceeded her physical age.

"Maria, you'll get an infection," Adam snapped quietly, "you'll leave Charlie all alone again if you don't let us help. You're the only one that makes him human."

Mary froze then, listening to Adam carefully. She then nodded, slowly retracting her hand from the cage and allowing her self to sit still on the ground. Charlie shuffled forward and pressed himself against his cage, as close as he could get to Mary.

The twins made quick work of disinfecting the slashes, ripping a strip of cloth from their own pants to drench in the liquid and cleaning the bloody lines. Mary barely even flinched, eyes glassy as they worked.

Doris sewed the gashes shut as neatly as she could manage, but in the dim lighting of the dark circus tent, her work was sloppy and borderline grotesque. But it got the job done.

"We'll need to disinfect these daily," Adam told Mary, "so you don't get sick, we don't need you getting sick." 

Mary just nodded absentmindedly, making Adam wonder if she could even understand him past her own exhaustion and trauma.

Charlie whined, hitting his head against his cage to get Mary's attention, making the girl look up for a moment. She didn't move with life like she had done earlier, but instead slowly reached her hand through the bars, petting the beast's greasy hair with gentle, tired fingers.

 

Adam and Doris still didn't know what to make of her.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos fuel the fire!


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